Reflection in the Moonlight
by the-everglow
Summary: Chapter FOUR up! Taye is a Moon Reader and was sent on a journey to find and destroy Soul Edge. But she can't do it alone. Who else could help her? A Wind Priestess Perhaps? Or maybe a firey redheaded Korean? Or Maybe even a thief from her past? R
1. Chapter 1

(Everglow) Ok, so this story is totally changed now. I'm really sorry to do this to my readers (if they still out there since I haven't updated in almost two years, sorry!) It's just that I could not come up with anything else to write and when I finally went back to read through everything I found that I really hated how the story was going. I just couldn't keep it the way it was. I'm sorry if you liked the original but there was no way I could come up with anything with that one. Don't worry; the original storyline will stay the same! I just need to redo it so I can finally be happy with it. Thanks so much for understanding.

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Soul Calibur, its characters, anything like that. Only my original stuff is mine…or else it wouldn't be original would it.

Here I go! Take 2!

Title: Reflection in the Moonlight

Chapter One: Let's See Where This Wind Leads

'_Such Attitude will cause you to fail…Taye.'_

_'Taye, I think you should let your brother handle all this…since you're just not strong enough.'_

'_Taye can't possibly take out Soul Edge…she's such a weakling.'_

'_Please Taye, do not disappoint our village.'_

'_Taye, please do not fail us…the entire Village of the Moonlight depends on your success.'_

"Shut up!" Taye hissed as she jolted up from her resting place, her breaths uneven and hard as she glanced around her. There was no one around: no one at all. Just Taye. "Great, I'm hearing those damn voices in my sleep again. And that means one thing," Taye groaned as she closed her ice blue eyes tightly, hoping to escape all of her worries. "I'm going kuku."

As soon as Taye began to relax into the silence of the night, she heard them again. The memories that haunted her and played in her mind like an old movie, which was unfortunately not silent at all. The young girl shifted uneasily in her resting spot, trying to ignore the voices as much as possible. She was failing miserably.

"By the Gods, there is no way that I am going to be able to sleep at all with all these voices pressuring me!" Taye cried out as she fumed in her resting spot, opening her eyes to gaze up at the silver orb in the sky. "Moon, why do you plague me with these voices…and this responsibility?"

Taye fell silent as she felt a presence somewhere close by: to her left to be precise. Taye remained still as she made a quick glance at the trees to her left, hoping to catch a glimpse of her spy. When nothing appeared, Taye returned her attention to the moon, listening carefully for any other sign of life.

'Whoever it is isn't being careful enough not to get caught,' Taye thought to herself, continuing to listen for any sound out of the ordinary. 'What is it that they could possibly…?'

Snap!

There it was. The sound that Taye was waiting for, and it came from her left just as she thought. Without any hesitation, Taye was on her feet charging for the attack. It was time for Taye to prove herself. Too bad no one from the village was there to see her in action.

"You're messing with the wrong girl, pal!" Taye shouted as she stormed through the bushes, her sais now in hand and ready to pierce into the heart of her spy. "I'll show you what I'm made of!"

Taye paused, feeling her cheeks burn with sudden embarrassment. It seemed that the crack was nothing more than a lowly rabbit moving around in the bushes.

"I feel extremely dumb now," Taye mumbled softly to herself as she lowered her weapons, glaring at the bunny. "I should kill you for this, Bunny!"

"Hey, who goes there?" A voice suddenly called out from behind Taye, causing the young warrior to jump up in surprise. As if the bunny thing wasn't embarrassing enough, now there really was someone behind her and Taye hadn't even noticed.

"Um, who goes there?" Taye retorted, peering back over her shoulder in fear of turning to face the woman. Her ice blue eyes scanned over the figure that stood before her. To her amazement, it was only a young girl, one that was roughly Taye's own age.

"I asked you first," the girl stated before inching closer to Taye with interest, excitement evident in her large brown orbs. "Who are you…and what is it that you are doing all the way out here?"

"I'm just chilling in the woods…you know, camping," Taye joked, trying to ignore the fact that the other girl held her weapons ready to attack if she made any 'wrong' movements. "What are you doing out here?"

"Please answer my question," the girl stood her ground firmly as she spoke. "I do not wish to hurt you, but if you continue to ignore my questions then I might have to use force on you."

"Calm down, I'm only kidding," Taye chuckled as she smiled back at the other girl, chancing that this newcomer was telling the truth when saying she did not wish to harm her. "My name's Taye and I'm just camping out for the night until the sun's up."

"Really?" The girl smiled and gave a small nod of approval. "I see... I'm sorry that I suddenly did that…but you can never be to careful."

"I know what you mean," Taye turned heel towards the newcomer. "What's your name?"

"Oh, sorry," the girl bowed quickly before Taye, going into her introduction. "My name is Talim."

The girl continued to bow and apologize to Taye, her black braids bouncing with every movement she made. It made Taye giggle to watch this Talim girl become so flustered after simply trying to learn of the identity of another person. Sure, Talim did become somewhat forceful with her weapons all out to attack, but that just guaranteed that she was getting a clear answer.

"Talim, hm?" Taye sighed and slid her sais back in their sheathes on her belt. "So what are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere, Talim?"

Talim stood there for a moment, obviously debating on whether or not to answer Taye's question. Taye frowned. What could this girl possibly be hiding? She seemed like a nice-enough girl. Unless…she was an agent of evil in disguise as a young girl!

"Well…to tell you the truth," Talim gave a shy smile as she scratched the back of her head. "I seem to have become lost."

Taye's hope fled. Nope, this girl was definitely not an agent of evil in disguise. There was absolutely no way that she could be anything but innocent.

"Oh, well that's too bad," Taye mumbled, trying to find a way of being an assistance to her new friend. "Maybe I can help you figure out where you are." Taye smiled at Talim, whose eyes now showed excitement at the prospect of getting out of the woods. "Where is it that you need to go?"

Talim stood before Taye, obviously puzzling over where it is that she needed to go. The girl tapped her foot, raising dust from the forest as she crossed her arms. She looked intently down at the ground as if it had all the answers she needed. To tell you the truth, it seemed like this girl was trying to act mature but ended up looking younger than she was.

"I believe that the place was called…The Village of Moonlight," Talim answered after a few minutes of thought. "I'm looking for the one who is able to read the futures of the moon."

Talim's first comment caused Taye's eyes to widen. First off, this new girl that came out of nowhere was looking for Taye's home, which was only three days away on foot. But it was the last comment that brought a huge grin to Taye's face.

"Really, that's actually really good for you then," Taye chuckled to herself as she held out her hand to the girl. "Well, Talim…I'm Taye, and I'm the one you're looking for!"

AN: Yes, the new chapter one of this story is complete! I'm sorry again that I had to totally change these chapters and all but I just needed to polish the writing a lot and if I didn't there would be no hope for new updates. Anyway, I give a shout-out to all my readers, and I think you all again for sticking with me through all the troubles I've been going through.

A special shout-out to my new beta inthisdarcness! You're my awesome best friend and I really thank you for helping me out with the story. You totally rock! Let's bake yummy cookies when I return home! Woot woot!

Thanks again everybody! Hope you enjoyed. Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

(Everglow) So yeah, I've been hard at work finishing up my mid-term work and stuff as well as posting up the new chapters for this story. So, I apologize if I'm being a little slow with the updates everyone. I'm really trying my hardest to make time to update my stories for you all. But anyway, thank you all for the support you gave me and I really appreciate all the kind words. It's really cool that I still have readers after all the time that I made you wait for those updates. I'm really sorry again. Anyway, here's the new chapter 2, ready for all of you.

Disclaimer: Same as Chapter One's disclaimer…please read chapter one to get disclaimer.

Here comes Take 2 of this chapter!

Title: Reflection in the Moonlight

Chapter Two: The Moon Never Lies, Nor Does The Wind

The silence was deafening within the clearing that Talim and Taye stood, each one having a different impression on the situation at hand. Taye stood with a grin still painted across her face, somewhat happy that someone had actually heard of her before. Sure, not her exactly, but the person she was in general. Taye felt famous, and hopefully not for the wrong reasons.

Talim, on the other hand, had a look of complete disbelief. It did seem too perfect that the person she had been searching for was standing right in front of her, gazing at her with those ice-colored eyes. It was truly too much to take in at the moment, even though from the look that Talim was receiving from the other girl, she would have to take it in immediately or deny it completely.

"You think I'm kidding, don't you?" Taye questioned suddenly, as if she was reading Talim's mind as easily as she did the moon. "Don't worry, Talim…I can assure you that I'm wouldn't be kidding about this…I am the Moon Reader."

"You're the Moon Reader from the Village of Moonlight?" Talim repeated, continuing to stare at Taye. "I'm sorry for doubting you," she recovered somewhat, "but this makes my search seem all too easy…and to think that I would meet such an important person so deep in these treacherous woods."

"Yeah, I know it's a bit hard to believe," Taye smiled with a nod. She reached into the pocket of her loose pants, pulling out a small, scrolled parchment with the seal from the Village of Moonlight. "This should be some proof that I am the Moon Reader…although I'm only supposed to show it to the person that the Elder told me to show it to."

Talim stood still as Taye held out the scroll and nodded for the newcomer to take it from her hands. Talim shook her head in response and, instead, pointed to the seal that was upon the parchment. That was all the proof Talim needed in order to believe that Taye was from the Village of Moonlight. As for being the real Moon Reader, Talim was still not fully convinced.

"I don't mean to doubt you at all, Taye," Talim sighed as she mumbled her views on the subject. "I, however, do not see any proof that you are the real Moon Reader…so if I could just observe you reading the messages given by the moon, it would be greatly appreciated."

The clearing fell silent once again as the grin completely disappeared from Taye's face. Talim felt her cheeks burn red with fear at the sudden change of atmosphere. She hadn't meant to upset Taye in any way. But Talim had to know the truth, even if it meant doubting Taye's abilities completely.

"Proof, huh?" Taye mumbled after a few moments of silence. "I really don't see how that's going to do you any good…but all right…I suppose I can do a reading for you right now."

Talim simply stood there in silence, awaiting Taye's next move. The Moon Reader sighed as she plopped down on the ground, sitting there without a word to the other girl. Talim was somewhat confused as to what proof there was in simply sitting on the ground in a huff. However, Talim's thoughts quickly vanished at what happened next.

Suddenly, Taye's gaze shifted up towards where the moon hovered above, her ice-colored eyes becoming lighter with each passing second. It was as if something else was there, and Taye was no longer the being that was sitting down before Talim. The girl was connected to the moon itself, and the moon had taken over completely.

"Follow the Wind…and Continue on your Quest…" Taye spoke in a voice that was her own, but was somehow different. "The Wind will show you the Way to what you seek."

"I never mentioned that…I am the Wind Priestess," Talim whispered as she admired the event that was occurring before her. "How could you have possibly have known that on your own…unless…"

"The Moon never lies, nor does the Wind," Taye continued her reading; her eyes slowly beginning to gain back their color. "Believe in what each other says…no matter how hard it is to believe…for you are both guided by Moon and Wind."

With that, Taye's head fell forward and her eyes completely closed. Talim let out a small gasp and rushed to Taye's side, kneeling down in order to steady the suddenly weak girl.

"Taye, are you all right?" Talim panicked, as Taye remained unresponsive to the Wind Priestess's words. "Taye, I believe you…you are the Moon Reader…now please be all right!"

"Damn right I'm the real Moon Reader," Taye mumbled softly under her breathe, catching Talim completely off-guard. "I wish I could have proven to you in a way that didn't completely burn me up…but there was no chance of that happening."

Talim sighed in relief as Taye's eyes finally fluttered open once again, focusing on the Wind Priestess. Even though it was nice to finally see the Moon Reader's powers at work, Talim knew that nothing was worth risking a life for. And seeing how hard Taye took that one reading, Talim was more than happy to never let something like that happen again.

"Does that always happen?" Talim questioned as she helped to steady Taye's swaying body. "Do you always have a reaction like that to reading the moon?"

"Oh…oh no, definitely not," Taye managed to work up a smile to ease Talim's worries. "The only reason that I was so drained was probably because I'm already exhausted to begin with."

Talim frowned slightly at the girl's carefree attitude and was preparing to give the girl a firm "talking to". But, alas, Talim could not bring herself to do it. She, instead, relented and let out a heavy sigh before reaching into the small pouch resting at her hip.

"Well Taye, you have certainly made things easier on me," Talim gave a smile as she retrieved her hand from the pouch, pulling out a crystal stone that was shaped like a crescent moon. "I was told that I needed to find the Moon Reader and give her this stone…to guarantee her help."

"Help?" Taye repeated as she gawked at the beauty of the stone. "What kind of help do you need?"

Talim fell silent once again, as she shifted her gaze to scan the area around them. Taye continued to stare at the stone, being very careful not to touch it for fear of insulting the Wind Priestess. Taye finally broke out of her trance, however, when a slender hand was placed firmly on her shoulder, facing the Moon Reader to Talim once again.

"I want you to understand that this is a request and in no way is an order," Talim stated as she stared firmly in Taye's confused eyes. "I only ask this of you because it is of great significance to our realm. Your decision is more important that you can possibly imagine."

"No pressure," Taye mumbled, trying to keep her excitement level down to a minimum. This was the first time someone was ever really asking something of her of such magnitude. Usually at home, everyone was hoping that she would stay out of the way. Now, someone was asking her to do something important!

"Taye, I have a mission to find and destroy Soul Edge," Talim continued, keeping her stare firm. "I have this mission and I must ask that you join me on my quest, if at all possible."

Taye sat there in silence, blinking up at the Wind Priestess beside her. What a coincidence that the mission Talim had been assigned was the exact same mission that had befallen Taye. The Moon Reader could not keep a huge grin from returning to her face as she took Talim's hand in her own.

"This really is your lucky day!" Taye squealed in place, causing Talim to stare at her in confusion. "It just so happens that I was giving the same mission as you to destroy Soul Edge…and I would be honored to accompany you!"

Talim's look of confusion melted away with Taye's words of excitement, revealing a smile of relief and happiness. Taye could not stop herself from cheering loudly and throwing her arms around the Wind Priestess in happiness, which was returned full-throttle. Taye wouldn't have to be alone anymore, and Talim could finally complete her mission. It was all so perfect.

"All right, then let's get looking for that sword!" Taye cheered as she pulled away from and tried to stand, but to no avail. "Um…let's get looking for that sword tomorrow!"

"Good idea," Talim nodded, steadying Taye once again. "I think we both deserve a nice rest."

'_Taye…what are you doing out here so late at night?'_

'_Oh, Lukan…it's nothing…I'm just trying to read the moon…'_

'_Trying, huh…shouldn't you be doing that…I mean, you were the one chosen in our family to be the Moon Reader…'_

'_I don't think that decision was right…the Elder must have read the moon wrong because there's no way a failure like me could be the Moon Reader…'_

'_A failure like you…please, don't think that about yourself…everyone else just wants to put you down…if you give in to what they have to say, then you will become the failure that they picture you as.'_

'_They're right though…I can't do anything right…I've never done anything right…I couldn't even…'_

'_Couldn't even what?'_

'_I couldn't even…even save Father…I was the one he was coming to save…me…and because of what happened that day, he's dead…I caused father to die…'_

'_Taye, don't ever say that…don't ever say that again…it's not true!'_

'_But it is true, Lukan…I was the one who brought about Father's death…'_

Taye's icey eyes shot open as sweat beaded down her forehead. It had been so long since she had dreams like these, but ever since she began her journey towards Soul Edge, they haunted her every single night. It was as if the sword itself was trying to scare her away. Taye let out a sigh and stared up at the silvery orb above her. The moon was still high in sky, which meant that Taye had not been asleep for long.

"Taye, are you all right?" Talim questioned as she peered over the girl, worry evident in her eyes. "You're covered in sweat."

Taye simply nodded in response as she wiped the sweat from her brow, gazing up at the moon above her. Would she be able to continue her journey at this rate? It was obvious that she wasn't going to get a good night's sleep in a while, and that worried Taye more than anything. If she could not rest enough, how was she supposed to regain her strength?

"Taye, are you sure you're ok?" Talim questioned, kneeling beside the Moon Reader. "Maybe I should get you something…maybe some food or water?"

"No, no I'll go get some water Talim," Taye whispered as she inched to her feet, steadying herself before standing upright. "I'm sure a little stroll would do me some good anyway."

"I can't possibly let you do that," Talim got to her feet, grabbing onto Taye's wrist as the girl walked away. "What if you pass out in the woods, or become weak again…I don't want you to strain yourself in your condition!"

_Snap!_

Talim fell silent as Taye tensed up under her grasp, obviously puzzling over what had just caused the sound.

"If its another damn bunny, then I'm going to be pissed," Taye fumed as she pulled away from Talim, gripping her sais to pull them from their sheathes. "Talim, be prepared."

"Right," Talim reached for her Syi Salika and Loka Luha, her elbow blades that rested on each hip. "Winds, guide us now."

"Who's there?!" Taye hissed at the surrounding woods, flipping her sais out of the sheathes and catching them mid-air. "I warn you…I know a few tricks!"

There was nothing but silence for response, but Taye and Talim both knew that the air had changed. Someone was watching them at that very moment, and that person was most likely-

"In the trees!" Taye locked on to where the spy was hiding and thrusted one of her sais up towards the person. Talim at first thought that it was a rash move, but when there was a sudden yell Talim understood that the Moon Reader had successfully pinned the spy.

"What the hell was that for, you bitch?!" A voice boomed from the treetops, obviously male. "I'm going to get you for this right after…damn, that thing is actually pretty deep in the wood…it won't come out!"

"I know that voice," Talim let out a gasp as she lowered her weapons, staring up at the treetops in amazement. "Yunsung, is that you?!"

(AN) Well, there's the rewrite of chapter 2. Hopefully all you guys like how I've added some stuff. I am actually really starting to like this story again and I hope you guys like it too. I'll be back very soon with a new chapter rewritten and soon I'll be back to the seven chapters again. After that, I'll actually be writing up more of the story. I would actually like some suggestions from my readers if that's ok: Should I bring back Raphael is the chapters that follow. He was very much out of character but was quite hilarious in my opinion with Yunsung. I can bring him back or bring in a different character to fight with Yunsung.

Thanks again to all my readers and another special thanks to my wonderful beta/best friend inthisdarcness. You all rock and I hope that you continue to read my stories.


	3. Chapter 3

(Everglow) I'm actually updating these new chapters like at a days-length and even just a couple of days by the looks of it, and that's kinda exciting. Of course, that's totally not like my usual updates, right readers of My Eyes Tell All. I can't believe I even let it become another year before I updated. Damn you, Evil computer for crashing once again and taking my wonderful chapters with it. I'd kill it but it's already dead. I have a brand new computer that does not disappoint me. Woot! Anyway, here's the new chapter of the story beta-ed by my best friend and muse inthisdarcness. 

Disclaimer: See Chapter One…lol. It's not changing.

And now, Chapter 3 Take 2! Enjoy!

Title: Reflection in the Moonlight

Chapter Three: The Warrior from Korea, Yunsung appears

The wary atmosphere that had befallen the small camp was enough to even keep evil bunnies away, except for the one that was roasting in the fire. The three teens all sat around the freshly made campfire, exchanging awkward glances in the fire's glow. Talim sat awkwardly in-between the two others, trying to keep to herself as she felt the glares shoot past her like daggers. 

The newcomer to the group was indeed Yunsung, a warrior from Korea that had befriended Talim earlier on her journey. It seemed that the boy had heard that Talim was in the area searching for this 'Moon Reader' and he decided to locate his friend the Wind Priestess. However, he had not expected to have met under such embarrassing conditions. 

"Talim, tell your little friend to stop glaring at me which those glaring eyes of hers!" Yunsung fumed from his seat, obviously still embarrassed from the events that had occurred. "I don't need that little brat getting on my case right now!" 

"Who are you calling a brat, you jackass!" Taye snapped in response, causing the redheaded boy to jump up with anger. "You don't need to tell Talim to pass on your stupidity…if you want to say something, say it to my face!"

Yunsung's cheeks burned redder than his hair and he reached for his sword. Talim sprung up just in time to grip the boy's wrist, locking his eyes with her own as she frowned. Taye simply sat there unaffected by the event unfolding before her, and instead was poking at the rabbit that they were cooking with a stick.

"Yunsung, this is not a time to be fighting," Talim scolded the older boy, tightening her grip on his wrist. "Especially when the person you are fighting is an ally of yours." 

"How's the girl my ally, Talim?" Yunsung retorted, glaring down at the determined girl that held him. "She's a freakin' brat…and I have no time to deal with brats!"

Talim stood her ground, refusing to break the hold she had on Yunsung. She had enough of the fighting and wished for peace between the two. They had only just met after all, even though their first meeting did involve pinning Yunsung to a tree with Taye's sai. Luckily Talim was able to climb up to where Yunsung had been pinned and muster up all her strength to pull out the blade. But still, these two needed to be friends, or at least act friendly to each other. Was that too much for one Wind Priestess to ask?

"Death to the evil rabbit," Taye smirked as she continued her poking. "Let's eat up, Talim…stop messing with the flame head and chow down with me!" 

"Flame head!" Yunsung jerked his arm away from Talim, pointing his sword at the Moon Reader. "That's it, you little bitch…I'm going to slice your face off!"

Nope, it was certainly too much to ask for. The two teens showed no sign of getting along at all. Talim let out a heavy sigh before staring back up at Yunsung, who seemed awfully determined to scare the overconfident moon girl. 

"You would have done it by now if you were really going to slice my face off," Taye mumbled as she halted her poking, instead pointing her stick at the redhead. "I'm going to poke you unless you put away your sword, shut up, and eat the evil rabbit with me and Talim."

Talim stared over at Taye, amazed in her sudden change of attitude. Sure, she was still far from being friendly towards the redhead, but she certainly wasn't being mean. Taye actually seemed like she was willing to work with the newcomer.

"Whatever," Yunsung huffed as he put away his blade, sitting back down beside the Wind Priestess. "Just hurry up with the food already." 

"Hey, there's no need to rush poor Talim," Taye's smirk grew large as she chuckled. "You should treat your girlfriend with some respect, pal." 

Both of the teens froze as Taye's comment rolled off her tongue, both of them turning red. Talim looked away quickly, trying to hide her sudden loss of composure. Yunsung shot a glare at Taye. 

"What…after all that happened earlier, I'm surprised that you two are not together," Taye giggled at the thought of what had occurred.

(Flashback)

Talim stared up at the treetops, awaiting a reply from the spy that had been successfully pinned to the tree. Taye stood beside the Wind Priestess, interested in whom this 'Yunsung' character was that Talim was talking about. 

"Talim, so it is you!" The voice called out in response, anger and frustration more than evident in his tone. "What the hell are you doing throwing these damn blades around!"

"That was my friend Taye who pinned you up there!" Talim replied, replacing her weapons at her side. "I'm sorry Yunsung, we didn't know it was you…I'll help get you down!" 

Taye watched Talim as she rushed to the tree where Yunsung was pinned. The Wind Priestess grabbed onto the branch closest to her small height and began to pull herself up towards the next branch. Within seconds, Taye was gawking up the tree with Talim barely still in her sights. The girl moved like a monkey up the tree until she finally caught the sight of the tall redhead pinned to the bark. 

"Yunsung, it really is you!" Talim could not help her grin as she finally reached the branch that Yunsung was standing on; he was obviously frustrated with the fact that such a simple blade caught him. "It's been so long since I've seen you…I'm so glad that you're all right!"

"Of course I'm all right…at least I was," Yunsung gave a chuckle as he tried to hide his embarrassed face from the girl. "It's really good to see you again, Talim…although the circumstances could be better."

"I'm so sorry that this had happened but we had no way of knowing that it was you." Talim noticed the sai that was holding the redhead's arm to the bark of the tree, with a little blood staining the blade. "Oh no, you were cut!" 

"Huh…oh, that's no big deal," Yunsung mumbled to himself, his eyes still averted away from the girl. "I'd die of embarrassment long before I'd die of something like this…now if you could please help me get this damn thing out of the tree so I can get down?" 

"But…can't you just pull off your shirt…since it hasn't technically pierced your skin?" Talim questioned, somewhat confused. 

"Yeah, I kind of don't want to rip off my shirt," Yunsung mumbled as pouted before the girl. "It's my only one that I have…and a simple hole is easy to fix…plus, I don't want to go around half-naked here." 

Talim nodded, even though she was still obviously confused. What reason was there really for not going around without a shirt on? Talim repeated that question in her mind, trying to come to terms with what she was saying. When it finally hit the Wind Priestess, a picture of Yunsung standing half-naked in the rain popped into her head. The girl let out a squeal as she covered her blushed cheeks, hoping that the boy would not catch onto her childish daydreams. 

"Is everything ok with you, Talim?" Yunsung asked, causing Talim to peek over at him through her spread fingers. The redhead was staring at the girl, confusion evident in his puzzled stare.

"Oh, everything is fine Yunsung," Talim gave a hesitant laugh as she moved her hands away from her face, hoping that her blush was no longer visible. 

"Well, if you say so," Yunsung rolled his eyes as he awaited the Wind Priestess's assistance with the sai. "Can we please hurry up with this thing?" 

Talim nodded again as she took hold of the sai, pulling back with a huff. Unfortunately, it was not coming out of the tree. It was really stuck.

"No wonder you couldn't get this out yourself," Taye whispered silently as she pulled hard on the sai again, using all of her might to do so. "This blade really isn't coming out." 

"Just keep trying…come on, I've taken you on before so I'm sure you've got more power than that!" Yunsung growled as he tried to pull the weapon out himself. "Just keep…!"

Talim gasped as she was finally able to pull Yunsung free, but in turn, lost her footing on the branch. The girl screamed, as she no longer had the safety of something solid under her feet. 

"Talim!" Yunsung sprung to help the girl, falling off the branch himself as he grabbed onto Talim's hand. "Aw, shit!" 

Taye's eyes grew wide at the sound of Talim's scream, followed by the sound of this Yunsung's cursing. The Moon Reader let out a yelp of her own as debris began to fall around her from the treetops, an obvious sign that something was going wrong from above. 

"Talim, what's wrong!" Taye screamed as she searched for any sign of the Wind Priestess, or whoever that Yunsung boy was. "Damn it all for being so dark out here…Talim, please answer me!" 

Talim was unfortunately unable to answer at the moment for her head had decided to go to battle with a rather thick branch and lose; she was unconscious. Yunsung managed to grab onto a branch in time before they both could impact with the ground, but he could already tell that there was no way it was going to hold them both for long. 

"Of all times to get knocked out…Talim, wake up!" Yunsung bereted the limp girl as he listened to the branch crack under their combined weights. "Ah jeez…this is freakin' insane!" 

Yunsung gasped as the branch finally gave way, letting the two teens fall towards the approaching ground. Yunsung tucked himself around Talim and twisted midair under her, protecting Talim in his arms. He hit with a grunt, but the branch hadn't been too far from the ground, though it was high enough to knock the wind out of the warrior. 

"Oh my god!" Taye cried out, causing Yunsung to look up at the unfamiliar girl in pain. "Talim, are you all right…and, who the hell are you pal!" 

"I could say the same to you," Yunsung got out in between coughs as he tried to catch his breath, his aching muscles paralyzing him to the ground. "This is insane…"

"Oh…so you're Yunsung," Taye giggled suddenly as she turned a bright red color. "Well, I see what kind of relationship you and Talim have."

"Huh…what are you…?" Yunsung's eyes grew wide as he realized that his strong hand that pulled Talim protectively into his arms now rested on her butt. "Oh, shit!"

(End Flashback)

"What happened earlier?" Talim asked suddenly, confused by Taye's words. 

"Nothing Talim…she's just joking around with you," Yunsung grumbled, continuing to glare at the Moon Reader. "Ain't that right, brat?"

"I'm not a brat," Taye's smirk vanished as she took a piece of the cooked rabbit meat that Talim had handed her. "Yeah, I'm just messing with you, Talim…don't think anything of it." 

With that, the three teens all sat together by the warm campfire, eating the meal that the Wind Priestess had prepared for them. There was no talking or conversing at all between them. They just sat there in silence, staring into the flames that warmed them.

"I must say that it is nice to see you alive and well, Talim," Yunsung broke the silence, keeping his eyes on the crackling flames before him. "I was a little worried when you went off on your own after you fought that Lizardman back at the windmill village." 

"What do you mean by 'alive'?" Talim questioned, glancing at the boy with a raised eyebrow. "You thought I couldn't handle myself on my own?" 

"It's not that…well, maybe just a little…being as you're going after Soul Edge," Yunsung smirked as he looked over at the girl beside him. "It is a dangerous journey you're on and all…and you could get hurt like you almost were when you were helping me in the tree." 

"You act as though I'm nothing but some green fighter," Talim frowned as shot a glare at Yunsung. "Honestly, I was sure that I had proven myself to you when I clobbered you in our fight." 

"That was a fluke of course…" Yunsung shrugged as he gulped down more of the rabbit meat. "I mean, being as you're so kind and you listen to those voices in your head all the time…you'd be…"

Taye smirked at the couple sitting together as Talim punched Yunsung's in the arm in anger. The boy simply chuckled at Talim's reaction and rustled her hair with a strong hand. They were cute, in Taye's opinion, and surely would be a couple in the future if they weren't already. 

"Don't treat me like a child, Yunsung!" Talim fumed in her place, continuing to hit Yunsung's arm in anger. "You're the one who is trying to find Soul Edge to use for your own purposes!"

Taye's eyes suddenly widened at Talim's words. So she and the Wind Priestess weren't the only ones in search for the evil blade?

"So, you want to use the evil sword instead of destroying it?" Taye whispered as she glanced over at the redhead, who had discontinued his messing with the Wind Priestess. "Why would you do something so stupid…?" 

"It's not stupid, and mind your own business!" Yunsung snapped as he shot up from his seat once again, glaring down at Taye. "You have no right to criticize me…I'm going after Soul Edge because it will aid me in saving my people!" 

"But…the sword is evil," Taye retorted, rising in order to stand before Yunsung. "That sword will be of no help to you at all…it will probably consume your soul if anything else!" 

"Just mind your own business, brat!" Yunsung hissed as he ignored Talim's hand on his wrist to calm him. "You don't even know anything about the sword, I bet…you're just repeating the words that your friends or family have told you!"

"Friends?" Taye repeated suddenly dizzy. The girl knew that she was still weak after her last reading of the moon, but she had no idea that her anger could cause such a reaction. 

"Taye?" Talim moved beside the girl, trying to steady her as she began to sway. "Taye, are you all right?" 

"Tal…Talim…I…" Taye felt herself slip into darkness as she began to fall backwards.

"Oh no, Taye!" Talim shrieked as Yunsung moved to the girl's side, catching her before she could fall on the ground. "Taye, can you hear me…Taye!" 

(AN) Well, here's another rewrite to all my readers. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. To everyone who is actually a reader from the original, don't worry. The old chapter 3 will continue on in the new chapter 4. I just decided to make this chapter all about Yunsung appearing and getting to know the new girl Taye. 

Thanks again to all my readers and my beta inthisdarcness. I hope you keep reading my stories. Thanks!

A note from inthisdarcness: Sorry this is so late; it is primarily all my fault. It's spring break and I've been lazy, so don't blame Everglow. Later! 


	4. Chapter 4

(Everglow) Here's another chapter up here for all my readers

(Everglow) Here's another chapter up here for all my readers! I'm still surprised that I have been able to update as much as I have been, but I'm positive these updates that appear in a day or a week will not last. I'm sorry but I have work plus school, which has to stand in the way of writing. Stupid work and school!! Anyway, hope you all like the new chapter!

Disclaimer: Yeah, see Chapter one for this stuff.

Take two here we go!

Title: Reflection in the Moonlight

Chapter Four: The Flute Song from the Shadows

'_Taye…you're out here all along again…is reading the moon really that important right now?'_

'_Lukan…it's important that I know how to read the moon perfectly for when it really counts…if you expect me to actually be more than just a failure then I have to be able to do my duty as the Moon Reader…'_

'_Well, I do see your point little sister…but do you have to be out here so late at night?'_

'_Of course I do…I have to practice while the moon is shining bright in the sky…and if I go in now then hours will be wasted on…on…Lu…Luka…Lukan…'_

'_Taye…Taye, you're falling!'_

'_Lu…Lukan, I feel like…'_

'_Taye, can you hear me…Taye, please open your eyes…someone please help us…Taye!'_

"Lukan!" Taye cried out to the night as she shot up into a sitting position. Her blanket slid off of her weakened body as she held out her hand towards where Lukan had been clearly sitting in her dream before her vision had blurred. However, instead of her brother sitting there beside the fire, Yunsung sat there staring at the girl with concern evident in his eyes.

"No, but nice try kid," Yunsung mumbled as he looked back into the dancing flames. "It's me Yunsung…you know, the Flame Head."

"Flame Head…" Taye repeated as she felt the world around grow dizzy once more. "Oh…oh right…Flame Head…"

"Don't overdo it Brat!" Yunsung snapped, moving to his feet over to the girl and holding her steady. "You're still pretty much out of it…so don't go shooting up like a pistol!"

"Right…don't overdo it…ok," Taye whispered as she felt her body grow weak in Yunsung's arms, staring up at the boy with blurry eyes. "Lukan…is that you?"

"No kid, I'm not Lukan," Yunsung frowned as he laid the girl down and replaced the blanket on top of her. "Whoever that is."

"Lukan…my brother…is he really not here?" Taye questioned as she gripped onto Yunsung's wrist, keeping him from leaving her side. "Please don't tell me I was only dreaming."

"Do you have a brother complex or something, kid?" Yunsung joked as he sat down beside the girl, hoping to calm her down a little. "There's no Lukan here, kid…so you must have been dreaming him up or something…maybe you're hearing voices too like Talim."

Taye accidentally let a giggle escape her lips at Yunsung's attempt to cheer her up, but quickly regained her composure. It was not quick enough however, and Yunsung smiled at his accomplishment.

"So what's the deal with this Lukan you keep mentioning?" Yunsung asked, looking down at the girl that held his wrist captive. "Your brother…do you miss him that much or something?"

"Lukan…my brother…is like the only one who understands me back at home…" Taye whispered, her smile disappearing at the thought of her brother. "He was there when I first fainted, pushing myself too hard while reading the moon…"

"I see…" Yunsung nodded in understanding. "He must be a really great brother for you to be missing him this much…"

"He is a great brother…and my best friend…" Taye shook her head, wanting to talk about something else more than anything. "Where is Talim?" Taye quickly changed the topic, noticing the Wind Priestess was nowhere in sight. "Did you scare her off?"

"I would have to say you scared her off if anything, Brat," Yunsung mumbled, accepting the change of subject while continuing to let the girl hold onto his wrist since it calmed her down some. "You're the one who randomly fainted in the middle of our argument…"

"Oh, right…guess I kind of surprised her with that one…" Taye mumbled as she remembered how frightened the Wind Priestess was when she had first grown weak after the reading of the moon. "Talim does get worried a lot, doesn't she?"

"Well of course Talim gets worried a lot…that's the kind of person she is," Yunsung sighed as he brought his free hand up to his face to massage his aching head. "But no…Talim went off to get you some fresh water…"

Taye laid there beside the redhead, staring up at him with tired eyes. She couldn't help but smile slightly at how the boy was showing concern for her. Even after all of their arguing, Yunsung was still being nice to Taye and taking care of her in her time of need.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Taye whispered suddenly, refusing to switch her gaze from the redhead. "Last time I checked…I was yelling at you, and you were yelling at me…and the words being exchanged were anything but nice."

Yunsung remained quiet for a moment, staring into the flames, deep in thought. Taye continued to stare up at the boy in confusion, hoping he would soon break the silence.

"I guess it's because I was worried is all," Yunsung said finally, pulling his wrist away from the girl's grasp. "Now get some rest or you'll pass out again…I'm not going to be the reason that you black out anymore…"

"It wasn't your fault," Taye smiled as she grabbed onto Yunsung's wrist once more, bringing it close to her body and kissing his hand. "Thank you so much for caring about me Yunsung…"

"Hey, enough with the mushy stuff!" Yunsung yanked his hand away once more, glaring down at the girl. "Get to sleep now, you little brat!"

"Heh, you're so funny Yunsung…" Taye closed her eyes, slipping slowly into darkness. "Th…thank you…Yunsung…and…and I'm sorry…"

The boy sat there in the silence, feeling his cheeks burn red from the kiss on his hand. That girl was certainly acting weird towards him. She must have been totally out of it to kiss his hand and say such kind words to him. Yet, Yunsung couldn't help but smile and feel grateful to the gods for letting the girl be all right and able to speak with him once again.

"You're welcome…" Yunsung mumbled as he stared up at the moon above them. "I'm glad you're okay at least…Brat…"

'_Lukan…I'm so glad I was able to speak to you alone…'_

'_Taye…what is it…why are you looking so troubled?'_

'_Lukan…the elders…they're actually trusting with a mission…they trust me with a mission, Lukan!'_

'_A mission…what kind of mission are you going on?'_

'_A mission to destroy the demonic blade Soul Edge…the elders actually think I can be able to destroy the sword all on my own…isn't that cool?!'_

'_All on your own…so you're going to be all by yourself on this journey?'_

'_Yeah…I'll be all on my…I'm going to be alone…oh no, what if I can't handle myself on my own, Lukan?!'_

'_You'll be fine, I'm sure…you've always been able to kick my butt little sister…but you know, I still can't believe that you're finally able to go on a mission on your own…'_

'_Yeah, I know…isn't it crazy?'_

'_Yeah…are you sure I can't come with you for just a little while?'_

'_I'm positive…the elders said that no one from the village is allowed to accompany me on my journey…not even my big brother…'_

'_Well…I guess they do want you to prove that you can handle yourself…but I'm sure you'll be perfectly fine on your own…so don't worry about anything…you just go on your journey…and I'll take care of the village…I might even try to read the moon from time to time…you know, to check up on my little sister…'_

'_Ha, that's funny Lukan…you know that I'm the only one with the ability to read the moon…but you know, I don't want you to be left alone here…and what abut Mother… Aden and Anee…I don't think I could leave you all for so long…'_

'_Oh please, Taye…we'll be fine…all of us are proud of you and want you to accomplish your mission with flying colors…'_

'_Everyone?'_

'_Yes, we all want you to do well...me, Mother, Aden, Anee…and even Father…'_

'_Father…'_

Taye awoke once again next to the campfire; amazed to see Yunsung sprawled out on the other side of the fire. Taye knew that Yunsung was sleeping soundly because his snores echoed throughout the campsite.

"I'm so glad to see that you're awake now, Taye," Talim whispered from her seat next to the snoozing redhead. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel better than before," Taye answered, sitting up carefully so that another dizzy spell did not overcome her. "I'm sorry to have worried you and Flame Head."

"Oh, I'm just glad you're all right," Talim giggled at the new nickname that was given to Yunsung. "I was so worried when you suddenly passed out like that…you should have told me that you were still weak from the moon reading."

"It suddenly came over me…I'm really sorry that I ended up causing trouble for the both of you," Taye's gave a saddened look as she shifted her gaze away from the Wind Priestess. "I'm so sorry…"

"There's no need to apologize, Taye," Talim placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder, smiling. "You know…Yunsung was really worried about you when you passed out…he insisted that he stay with you this whole time…he only recently went to bed because I made him…"

"You made him?" Taye giggled at the thought of Talim forcing the redhead to get to bed. "You've certainly got that boy under your control, Talim."

"Well, of course," Talim joked, handing Taye her canteen. "Here's some water…I got it for you earlier but you were still asleep when I came back to give it to you."

"Thanks Talim," Taye gratefully took the canteen, bringing the nozzle to her parched lips.

Taye took a gulp of the satisfying liquid, happy to finally have fresh water pouring down her throat. Talim sighed as Taye finally removed the nozzle from her lips, and handed over the canteen back to the Wind Priestess.

"I was worried when I came back from getting you the water," Talim gave a guilty smile. "I thought that if you had woken up that you and Yunsung would fight again and worsen your condition…but it seems I was wrong."

Taye stared up at the Wind Priestess in confusion, trying to figure out why she did not already know about Taye and Yunsung's talk during her absence. Taye was about to mention that she had indeed woken up and talked with Yunsung with minimal arguing when she heard the faint sound of something playing in the night.

"Do you hear that?" Taye whispered as she looked up towards the sky. "Do you hear that music, Talim?"

"Music?" Talim repeated, looking at Taye with concerned eyes. "I'm sorry…I don't hear anything…are you sure you're hearing actual music Taye?"

Taye nodded, getting to her feet abruptly as she followed the sound of the music. Talim watched the Moon Reader with wide eyes, scared that the girl was going to overdo herself again.

"Taye, please lay back down…you're in no shape to be up right now!" Talim jumped to her feet, trying to grab the girl before she disappeared into the forest. "Taye, wait a minute…Taye!"

It was too late. Taye rushed into the forest before Talim could stop her. The Wind Priestess began to panic, pacing back and forth unsure as to what she should do.

"Oh no…oh no…oh no!" Talim continued her pacing as she tried of think of what to do next. "Should I go after her…should I let her be…what if she faints again…what if she's attacked…what if she…Ah?!"

Talim froze as a large hand came down upon her shoulder, causing the girl to gulp down in fear. This was not a good time for him to wake up.

"Judging by the fact that the brat is not where I left her and I wake up to find you pacing back and forth while whining about going after someone, I can conclude Taye ran off." Talim turned heel to face the angered Yunsung that held her shoulder captive. "I should have known better than to listen to you when you told me that you had everything covered."

Talim cowered before Yunsung, trying to escape the full onslaught of his anger. Talim could feel the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, and she could not bring herself to even look up at the redhead.

"I know I said I had everything under control…" Talim whispered, feeling the guilt overcome her as she let her tears flow like waterfalls. "I'm really sorry Yunsung…I thought I could handle everything…she just surprised me and suddenly rushed into the forest talking about some sort of music playing!" Talim brought her hands up to cover her face, trying hard to hide her tears from Yunsung. "I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to screw up like this…I'm so sorry, Yun…!"

"Well, this certainly isn't like you at all," Yunsung brought his arms around the Wind Priestess, pulling her into a comforting hug. "Don't cry, Talim… we just have to chase after the brat as quickly as possible in order to make sure that she gets out of the forest without passing out again…" Talim pushed away from the redhead, looking up at him with watery eyes. "Now tell me, Talim…which way did the brat go?"

(In the Forest)

Taye followed the sound of what appeared to be a flute, ignoring any cries that Talim had made as the Moon Reader left camp. Taye felt compelled by the music and needed to know exactly where it was coming from. Taye needed to know who was it in the forest that was making such a beautiful sound.

"What the hell is up with me right now?!" Taye cried out as she continued to storm through the woods, hoping to come in contact with the player soon. "It's like I'm being drawn in…like I'm being hypnotized or something!" Taye let out a scream as she tripped over a branch, falling forward towards the ground. "Oh no!" The girl groaned as she came in contact with the hard ground, feeling pain move throughout her body. "Ah, great…just great!"

"Smooth, Kiddo!" Taye gasped and looked up from her place on the ground, trying to locate the owner of the obvious female voice. "Uh oh, you better look out…seems Midnight's on the attack!"

"Mid…Midnight?" Taye squealed as a small black dog came bounding towards her, attacking the defenseless girl with his wet tongue. "Stop…hey, stop it…!" Taye couldn't help but laugh at the dog that continued to lick her face. "Well, aren't you the happy boy…"

"Midnight has always been a happy boy," Taye took the dog into her arms, pushing herself up into a sitting position as she scanned the trees above. "So, Kiddo…you've heard my song, I presume?"

"Who are you?" Taye called out towards the treetops, still unable to catch a glimpse of the other person. "Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding, Silly," Taye watched as a girl leaped down from the trees beside her, her strawberry blonde hair falling over her face as she landed. "See, I'm right here."

Taye watched as the girl brushed the hair out of her face, revealing her kind smile and beautiful hazel eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. In her hand was a wooden flute, which was obviously instrument that was being played.

"I'm glad that you came here, Kiddo," the girl smiled, placing her flute into a pouch that was tied around her belt. "I was hoping my flute would lure you out here…oh, but not in a bad way…" She explained at Taye's startled look. "I simply wanted to meet the Moon Reader herself…being as I have heard so much about you on my journeys." The strawberry-blonde held out her hand to Taye, smiling. "So, here I am to meet you."

"Um, you wanted to meet me?" Taye repeated, staring at the girl's hand in question. "Can you tell me who you are…sine we have yet to be introduced to each other?"

"Huh?" The girl blinked for a moment before smacking her head as she giggled. "Oh, silly me…I totally forgot to introduce myself…I'm sorry…my name is Margaritte…but, I actually prefer the name Poppy."

"Poppy?" Taye continued to stare at the hand, questioning on whether or not to trust this newcomer that had lured her deep into the woods. "Poppy…what is your reason for luring me out here all alone?"

"I didn't expect you to come out here all alone…that was your fault," Poppy shifted her gaze down to her awaiting hand, showing a bit of impatience. "Well…can you introduce yourself, Moon Reader?"

The Moon Reader frowned slightly at the girl's response, disappointed that she did not receive a clear answer. However, Taye finally gave a sigh and relented, taking hold of Poppy's hand. It was surprising to Taye that the strawberry-blonde simply wished for her to shake her hand: she did not even try to capture or harm her.

"This is weird," Taye mumbled, staring up at the girl that towered at least six inches above her. It didn't help that Taye was naturally short either. "I'm Taye, just in case you were wondering…"

"Taye, Hm?" Poppy's smile brightened, as she yanked the girl into a hug. "Well, you're certainly a little one…but aren't you just the cutest thing?"

"Um…" Taye's eyes were wide as she struggled in the other girl's hug, hearing poor Midnight whimper as he was smothered between the two girls. "Hey…personal bubble…you've popped it completely!"

"Huh…oh?" Poppy laughed to herself as she pulled away from the freaked out girl, petting the black dog that panted in Taye's arms. "Well Midnight, seems we've both made a new friend."

Taye continued to stare up at the other girl, watching her as she scooped Midnight out of the Moon Reader's arms and hugging him with care. She was…different. That's for sure. However, it seemed to be a good kind of different. And she did show signs of being a caring individual, no matter how strange her manner was.

"Well, Kiddo…sounds like you're being called," Poppy interrupted Taye's thoughts, backing away from the Moon Reader quickly. "Don't want your friends to worry any more than they already are, right?"

"Huh…hey, wait a minute!" Taye snapped, causing the strawberry-blonde to stop in her tracks. "What was the whole reason for calling me out here…tell me what's going on…I know you couldn't simply want to meet me!" Taye moved towards the girl, watching her as she let the dog jump out of her arms and onto the ground. "How could you even know that I was the Moon Reader?!"

Taye fell silent as the girl pulled out her wooden flute quickly and yanked it apart, revealing the flute to actually be two blades that came together to form the instrument. Poppy brought the blades up to the Moon Reader's throat, her facial expression revealing nothing to the girl. Midnight began to growl as he stood at Taye's feet, prepared to launch himself at whoever made the next move. Taye felt scared but could not scream out to her friends whose voices could now be heard and were coming closer. How could she let this Poppy girl get the better of her?

"You seem scared, Kiddo…but no worries," Taye blinked as Poppy smiled and pulled her blades away from her throat. "Your eyes were like…the size of lemons…you little scaredy-cat!"

"That…that wasn't cool at all!" Taye screamed, backing away from the strawberry-blonde. "What in the world is your deal?!"

"You couldn't even react in time to grab your weapons," Taye shook her head as she patted her hip, luring Midnight over to her side. "As for why I called you out here with my flute…it's exactly as I said…I wanted to meet you, the Moon Reader."

"But how did you know I was the Moon Reader?" Taye questioned again, trying to calm her beating heart down. "Please, just tell me what's going on!"

"I suggest you be careful as you proceed forward towards that sword you're hunting, Kiddo…I sought you out because I wanted to warn you that you're about to get yourself into a war that you won't be able to escape until you are dead…or you assist in destroying the sword that caused all this fighting," Poppy sighed as she continued on with her explanation. "Soul Edge is a demon blade…and it can easily take over your soul…yet you still go after it."

"Soul Edge?" Taye repeated, staring at Poppy in confusion. "But I'm going after Soul Edge to destroy it…I don't want anything to do with that blade besides destroying it completely."

"Right…you wish to destroy it…" Poppy smiled again as she nodded towards Taye. "Good girl…I was worried that when I had heard of the Moon Reader going after the sword Soul Edge, she would use it and lose her own soul to the blade…but I guess I was wrong."

"Taye!" Yunsung's voice echoed over the trees, growing louder with each passing minute. "Taye, where the hell are you?!"

"Seems your friends are worried still…so I'll leave you to them," Poppy bowed as she scooped up Midnight in her arms. "Listen Kiddo…I knew you were the Moon Reader because someone told me you were the Moon Reader…and they wished me to at least warn you of the dangers you're going to face on your journey." Poppy waved childishly at the confused Taye. "It was nice to meet you though, Taye…and I'm sure our paths will cross again soon!"

With that, the girl jumped into the shadows, disappearing completely from view. Taye stood in amazement and confusion, trying to figure out what all exactly happened during her time out in the middle of the woods. Poppy was certainly a strange character, but it seemed like she was simply treating Taye like she was her little sister. The Moon Reader inwardly smiled at the fact that someone had been concerned for her well-being and all, but she still wanted to know who had told the strawberry-blonde who she was and that she was going after Soul Edge. Taye wanted to know more about everything at that moment, yet no answers were coming to her.

"Taye, you little brat!" Taye snapped out of her thoughts as something hit her in the back of the head, catching her off-guard. "God, your reactions suck…what's the deal with you running off like that?!"

"Yunsung?" Taye turned heel to find Yunsung and Talim both charging over towards her, concern evident on both their faces. "Yunsung and Talim?"

"Oh Taye, I was so worried about you!" Talim threw her arms around the girl, happy to finally find the Moon Reader safe and sound. "I was scared that you were going to pass out again in the middle of the woods…or something even worse happening to you!"

"Talim…" Taye smiled as she returned the hug to the girl, guilty to make her worry like she did. "I'm sorry for causing you to hardly get any rest tonight…and for everything that's happened."

"Yeah, you better start apologizing to me too!" Yunsung snapped, batting Taye in the head as he fumed beside the girls. "You little pain in the ass…I shouldn't have bothered coming to look for you!"

"Yunsung, don't be mean to poor Taye!" Talim released Taye from her grasps and punched the redhead hard on his arm. "She's dealt with enough tonight, don't you think?!"

"We've dealt with enough ourselves, Talim…mostly at this brat's fault!" Yunsung rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I should have listened to my better judgment and just kept on sleeping…I shouldn't have come out here searching high and low for this girl."

"But you did anyway…" Taye smiled as she nursed her head from the punch that Yunsung had given her. "For that alone…thanks Yunsung…you big Flame Head!"

Yunsung would have yelled at the girl, but he was taken aback from the actual act of Taye thinking him. The redhead certainly was expecting Taye's attitude to fully surface again and to continue on with the fighting that they had left off on. Instead, the girl was actually showing gratitude for him being there. Yunsung was confused, but appreciative himself. He couldn't help but blush somewhat, looking away from the girls as they both stared at him.

"You're welcome, I guess," Yunsung mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and backing away into the woods. "Let's go, Brats…I'm tired and haven't gotten much of any sleep tonight at all…and the sun's bound to appear within the hour at the rate we're going tonight."

(Elsewhere)

Poppy let her feet swing freely below her from her seat on the highest branch of a nearby tree, watching as the three teens walked away back towards their camp. Midnight panted heavily from his spot in the girl's lap, excited to be up so high with his master. The girl giggled and patted her puppy's head happily, smiling when she lost all sign of the three teens in the clearing below.

"Well Midnight, that was fun, wasn't it?" Poppy questioned, letting out a sigh of relief. "At least I was able to get some information on them…"

"Poppy: time to report!" The girl jumped and almost screamed at the sound of the new voice. "Geez, I thought you were going to work on those senses of yours!"

Midnight growled for a moment at his owner's sudden jump of fear, but relented as he caught sight of the tall boy leaning on the trunk of the tree beside Poppy. The boy's ninja mask was removed from his face, showing his clear blue eyes and his devilish smirk. Poppy fumed in her seat, as she gazed up at the ninja beside her, wishing that he did not have to test her so much.

"But I have been working on them, Jayme!" Poppy whined from her spot, staring up at the tall boy at her side. "You are like the only person who I can't react to, all right!"

"Well, work on it some more so you don't react like a scared, little girl when I come back for a report," Jayme's smirk vanished as he got back to the business at hand. "So, what information have you found out?"

"Huh…oh?" Poppy giggled slightly at her sudden mind block, but quickly remembered what she was supposed to report. "Well…Taye was her name so we have confirmed that this girl we are pursuing is the Moon Reader. Also, the two companions with her are a girl named Talim and a boy named Yunsung. I believe they also hunt the sword Soul Edge."

"That's all you could find out?" Jayme questioned as his eyebrow rose up. "You haven't found out anything else?"

"Taye doesn't plan to use the sword for evil purposes!" Poppy pointed out as she smiled up at Jayme. "Isn't that good?"

The ninja stood there for a moment, glaring down at his companion with cold eyes. Finally, he reacted like he always did when the girl would give him a bullshit answer. He brought his fist down hard on top of the girl's head, making her cry out in pain. Midnight growled again at the ninja, angered by the sudden abuse towards his owner.

"That wasn't nice, Jayme!" Poppy cried as she nursed the top of her head. "Man, can't you be a little gentler on me…I am a girl, you know."

"Yeah, well you certainly do act like one, don't you," Jayme sighed and reached out a hand to the girl. "Come on, let me help you up…we need to get going…"

Poppy stared at Jayme's hand through her tears, debating on whether or not to accept it. However, when the ninja started to lose his patience and began to motion to hit the girl again, Poppy quickly took hold of the boy's hand and scooped up Midnight with the other. Jayme smirked at Poppy's quick reaction and pulled her up to her feet, making sure she was steady on the branch.

"Are you going to report to Lukan, or should I?" Poppy asked the boy beside her, still gripping his hand like her life depended on it. "I know you're probably tired from all the scouting and stuff…so maybe you should rest here and I'll…"

"I'm not tired at all," Jayme chuckled as he helped Poppy leap down the tree to the ground. "But you need to keep pursuing Taye for the time being and try and find out some more information…this is not enough for our client to be pleased."

"Aw, Lukan will be relieved enough to know that his sister is alive and well," Poppy smiled as she pulled away from the ninja, waving back at him as she turned to follow after the teens. "I'll do my best to keep an eye on the Kiddo…you be careful returning to Lukan, all right!"

With that, Poppy disappeared into the trees, followed at the heel by her faithful dog Midnight. Jayme stood there for a moment and waited, making sure that Poppy didn't end up getting hurt along the way. The girl was still new to all this fighting and spying, and she most certainly was a klutz when it came to running in a simple, straight line. Jayme smiled to himself and finally departed back towards the Village of Moonlight, where Lukan awaited to hear news of his sister.

(AN) Well, there's chapter four for you guys. Not my favorite, I must say but it's not like I totally despise it or anything. I actually really hated Poppy when I started writing her again, but after reading it over and over with my trusted beta, I discovered that I liked her more and more. Sure, she's a little weird now but that's ok!! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it and please review. Thanks to all my readers and my beta inthisdarcness!

(BN, i.e. Beta Notes, lol) Hey guys! Once again, I've been a horrible friend and dragged my feet in beta-ing this chapter. Oh so sorry, it's been done for a while, but computer problems combined with some RL issues have made it quite difficult to get out. Oh so sorry and I swear that Chapter Five will not be this bad. Thanks for your patience!


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